Emptying your recycling bin doesn’t completely erase files that you don’t want other people to get a hold of. In fact, despite what your repairman might say, it’s not that hard to reconstitute “deleted” documents. So if you’re planning to throw away your hard drive (or if you’re worried about your laptop getting stolen) the best way to cover your butt is to get rid of the bytes associated with the trashed files. But that process wont take more than a a few seconds. Wired’s How To explains how to do it:
PC
Go to www.heidi.ie/eraser/download.php and download the free Eraser app, which uses a process rigorous enough to meet Pentagon standards.Mac
Overwriting is easier on a Mac. (What isn’t?) Choose “Secure Empty Trash” from the Finder menu and the skeletons in your hard drive are toast.
